Drown
by The Spacecase
Summary: Sometimes I hear her voice in the rain. Challenge for DreamClan.


Sometimes, I hear voices in the rain.

On these gloomy, newleaf nights, after everyone's gone to sleep, I'll stand outside and listen. I hear her, between the pitter-patter of raindrops. Within the storms lie whispers of sweet nothings. Maybe I'm insane, I don't know. But I don't care, either. I know her heart lies within the rain. Nobody's seen her in StarClan, and she was far too good to join the Dark Forest. She must exist within the water. Whether it be the river below us or the rain that falls from above, I know she's there.

It's a fitting but bitter eternity.

Considering how she died.

* * *

"_Blackmarsh! Wake up, dear! Please!" I'm awoken by the sound of my mate, Briarheart. The first thing I notice, other than the clamour of voices and the roaring sound of the torrent, is the fact that I'm lying in water. Green eyes blinnking open, I see water swirling about within the den, not even a mouse-length from drowning me._ Oh, by StarClan. A flood!

_I scurry out of my den to meet Briarheart. Her fiery ginger coat has been muted to a dull brown by the water and the darkness. The water is rapidly rising, up to our chests already. _

_The elders and kits have been evacuated already, presumably safe at higher ground. Only a few warriors are unlucky enough to still be wading about. It's too late to run for higher ground, so many of the warriors have climbed on top of the various dens. _

_I join Briarheart on top of the nursery, her tail curling around my own. We watch the floodwaters rising together in silence. She looks up at me. Lightning flashes, and I see the fear in her wide yellow eyes, in her posture. She's terrified out of her mind. But then, so am I. _

_She's always hated water. Not a good thing, for a RiverClanner, but she's seemed to make it work. _

_Until now, that is. _

"_What if we die out here?" She's so quiet, I almost don't hear her. I nuzzle her in a sorry attempt to comfort her._

"_Don't worry. We'll live. I promise." As if to spite me, thunder booms overhead and the heavens open further, the rain falling harder and the waters rising even faster. I hear the crackling of the den beneath us. It's collapsing. We're going to be at the mercy of the flood. _

I'm sorry, Briarheart.

_It breaks. _

_Water fills my lungs, and I fall from her grasp. I struggle valiantly to find her, but I begin to lose consciousness. The last sight I see before my vision goes dark, is her head falling beneath the unforgiving waves._

* * *

"_Blackmarsh!"_

…

"_Blackmarsh, wake up!"  
I groan. _

"_Just a few more minutes, Spadetail," I murmur, none too happy about being woken from my nap. "I'll join the next patrol." I try to let sleep claim me once more. _

_Except I don't remember falling asleep. My eyes open wide as memories come rushing back. The storm. The flood. The broken den. _

_Briarheart!_

_I sit up, Spadetail clearly startled by the sudden movement. _

"_Briarheart. Where is she?" And suddenly, Spadetail crumples. Crouched low to the ground, he looks smaller, some how. _

"_I'm sorry."_

"_For what?" I inquire. _

"_She's gone." Those two words turn my world upside down. _

"_No." I utter, voice wavering. _

"_We found her body on the riverbank."  
I collapse, and wish I'd never woken up._

* * *

_The vigil is help outside of camp, seeing as it's been utterly destroyed. Two cats have left us for StarClan; Salmonkit...and Briarheart. Somehow, I see the latter as the more tragic loss. I just can't believe she's gone. _

_The love of my life- nay. She _was_ my life. The world, once bursting with colour, now exists only in shades of grey. I don't know how I'll ever get over her. I don't know if I can go on. _

_The Clan spends the following morning cleaning up camp, salvaging what we can and gathering materials to rebuild the parts we couldn't save. At the end of the night, we're all tired form the back-breaking manual labour. But no matter how I try, I just can't fall asleep. Leaving the warm comfort of my mossy nest, I step out into the light drizzle. _

_I think I hate rain now, but it's better than staying in that cramped, half-built den. It doesn't feel right without her curled against my side. _

_**You promised,**__ the rain whispers, melodic yet cold. _

"_I'm sorry, I reply softly. _

_**It's okay. We'll be okay.**_

* * *

Whenever it rains, I don't sleep. It leads to questioning stares and reduced productivity in the morning, but it's well worth it. Instead, once everybody else is firmly in dreamland, I step out and speak to her. Tonight, however, is different.

I lie in the mud, not quite able to care if I get dirty. I wait for her to start speaking to me.

_**I miss you. **_

"But I'm right here," I reply, making sure to be quiet so as not to wake my Clanmates.

_**No, it's not the same. I want you here, with me.**_ I gave a sad smile.

"Perhaps someday." The rain becomes just a bit heavier.

No. I want you now.

"I'm needed in the Clan, dear."

_**Join me, and we can be together forever. **_As much as I love her, I must admit that that sounds just a bit, well, creepy.

"No!" I hiss, doing my best to stay quiet. My claws sheathe and unsheathe, leaving marks in the soft ground.

_**Why not?**_ She asks after a moment. _**Don't...Don't you love me?**_  
"Of course I do! I just-"

_**Then please. There's nothing left on this earth for you, darling and you know it.**_ I give a deep sigh. Oh, how I've missed her. Maybe she's right. The Clan can carry on without me, after all.

"What do I do?"  
_**Oh, I knew you loved me! **_Go out to the river. You'll know what to do.

After a moment of silence, I realize the conversation is over. I stand up and pad over to the river. Its current is unusually strong, and I see my fate in the icy black waters. I hesitate for a brief moment before jumping in.

_Oh god what am I doing why did I do this_

_**It's okay, darling. Let me take care of you. You'll be with me soon. **_

The icy water stings, and so do my lungs. They're begging for air, but I do nothing. I close my eyes, and let the river take me to her.

* * *

**Hurray for extensive use of page breaks! Even in the short time you knew her, didn't Briarheart seem OOC? It's up to your interpretation as to whether or not that was really her he was hearing, or something more...sinister. Review, if you'd like. This was just a quick challenge for DreamClan, as the summary states, so. You know. Whatever.**

**If the names seem odd, it's because they're all a reference to a certain videogame. A cookie to whoever guesses the videogame correctly. **


End file.
